I am a Photo-Realist, that is, I work primarily from photos to produce graphite and pencil illusions that are photographically convincing, but not necessarily the result of a single photo or with any fidelity to my photo sources. Light is the common vehicle of abstraction in the series of graphite drawings in this exhibition.  

In the "Men in Plastic Bag" series, light is once again the dominant vehicle of abstraction.  Light reflects off the bag surface, creating a pattern of white light where the contents of the bag are totally hidden. The layering of the plastic creates various degrees of opacity obscuring selective areas of the interior image in order to heighten the overall design. The men in the plastic bags are a metaphor for protection and through protection, isolation. The bags are an artificial covering that masks the surface feel of flesh and abstracts or changes it.  This plastic shield is a contemporary packaging necessary and practical, but rendering its contents impersonal.  They were conceived as homage to friends who have died of AIDS.   

The "Rubber Fetish" series has just been started. Once again I use light to both reveal and to obscure form and to abstract the image. Like the men in bags, the covering changes the form, this time by depending upon light reflected from the slick surface to imply what is beneath the totally opaque covering. Unlike the men in bags, they lack translucency and the resulting voyeur's peek at flesh.  They deal with airlessness, suffocation and  claustrophobia and the thrill of fear and need to be totally covered or protected.